Fort William, India
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Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Western banks of the Ganges during the British Raj. It was named after King William III of England. Fort William is currently the Head Quarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. In front of the fort is the Maidan which used to be a part of the Fort and is the largest urban park in Calcutta.
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[edit] History
The original fort was built by the British East India Company under the supervision of John Goldsborough after 1696. It was situated near the bank of the river Hooghly. The building had two storeys and projecting wings. A guard room in the fort was later named the infamous black hole of Calcutta.
In 1757, an attack on the fort by the forces of Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, led the British to build a new fort in the Maidan. The new fort was started by Robert Clive after the Battle of Plassey and was completed by 1780. It is octagonal with three sides facing the Hoogli River.
The old fort was repaired and used as a customs house from 1766. The old fort had its original foundations upto the present day Kolkata General Post Office, which is well marked and labelled till this day.
[edit] Governor Generals Of Fort William (1774-1834)
[edit] Governors of the presidency of Fort William in West Bengal & Governor Generals of India (1834-1854)
[edit] Present
Fort William is currently the Head Quarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army.
[edit] External link
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